On paper, an i5 that old is about half the power of a latest generation i5, but...about half of that is because a latest generation i5 has more cores, which makes very little difference to games (few can properly use 2 cores, almost none gain much benefit from more), and most games are GPU bound and will happily run on any real desktop CPU from the last decade.

You'd see more benefits from the RAM speed you could get from the mobo upgrade that would go with a new CPU than from the CPU itself, not to mention a modern NVME SSD. Moore's Law is effectively a dead letter for consumer CPU applications.

--Dave

EDIT: You'd also get USB 3.0, and some other goodies that only come with the chipsets for the last couple of CPU generations. But the CPU itself is not going to be much of an upgrade.

32GB RAM why? I was going to throw 16 in it and see about a second 16 if needed.

Any thoughts on optane?

I'm waffling between the ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-F I mentioned earlier and a MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON, since I've been fairly happy with my MSI. Though I think my crashing issue was due to problems with the OC on that board, since it hasn't recurred since I went back to stock speeds.

I guess my main concerns are low power draw (without sacrificing performance), an M.2 shield (I don't like hot things), clean audio (optical spdif and headphone), and speed. I guess a good BIOS so I don't have to dick around too much with it. I'd like to OC the CPU a bit, given I'll put a 212 cooler on it (since I'll reuse my old case which may be a PITA for a water cooler).

I was also looking at the ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-F, so if you still are, check out the ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-E (E not F). From what I can tell - It's basically the same board but for $10 you get built in Wifi, Bluetooth and a second USB 3.1 controller for the front of the case connections, and a thermal sensor connection.

Ah, ok. I was under the impression it was just the wifi, and I have a good external antenna/adapter, and was just going to wire this version of my pc into the switch, since now I have Gb wired and whatnot.

Though I'm now considering a new case since my perusals have me thinking about a Noctua 140mm heat sink, which might need another 10-20mm depending on how far I have to lift the push fan to accommodate the RAM, since I can't find fast CL14 in a low profile package.

Good times. It's been forever, but most of the fun is in researching I've learned delidding is a thing.

edit: basically thinking about keeping the 970 and PSU from the current build

Ok, narrowing down a config. I really like the design of the Fractal Design S, big fan and minimal components. And since it sits in the living room, I like a nice clean finish and it would get rid of my awesome but ancient previous clean finish case that has some silver finish to it. Main downside I see on the S is the LEDs on the top front, I like the case to be dark. I see some electrical tape happening.

I've been using gskill for a while, had one stick die (under warranty) but otherwise it's been solid (and that's over the 7 years since I built this iteration). So I'm ok with them, experientially.

But it's mostly because they have the lower latency 3200 modules. Not too worried about clearance, because the Noctua is supposed to allow for a bit of vertical movement on the pull fan and the case should have ample room to bump it up a couple dozen mm if needed.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Feeling pretty good about that setup, even if it's just a tech refresh and doesn't get me much tangible improvement for gaming (I feel minecraft will benefit from the cpu and ram speeds, though). Should keep it fresh until gpus become affordable again...

When are the happy days of cheap graphics cards, cheap RAM and happy smiling gamers coming back again? If only everything was like SSD prices. Hoping to stumble on some kind of mid-year super sale for a build/prebuilt.

When are the happy days of cheap graphics cards, cheap RAM and happy smiling gamers coming back again? If only everything was like SSD prices. Hoping to stumble on some kind of mid-year super sale for a build/prebuilt.

Not until the cryptocurrency chucklefucks all die of syphilis, apparently.

'Reality' is the only word in the language that should always be used in quotes.

I think the current best way to upgrade your gpu is to buy a prebuilt gaming pc, pull the gpu and replace it with your current gpu, and reselll the PC.

Otherwise, don't buy higher res monitors and stick with older cards. My 4 yr old 970 is still a champ at 1080p, I decided to hold off upgrading for a few more years.

Ha, good idea. But unavailable to me because my current gaming PC is an Alienware Alpha, effectively a gaming laptop in a console-sized case with a HDMI port instead of a screen. It's hooked up to a 4K OLED TV, but I play everything in 1080p upscaled to 4K by the TV, because the Alpha lags in 4K. It's still pretty nice though (with a Roccat Sova couch gaming keyboard).

I want something capable of VR and actual 4K. I could build, but there are good prebuilt gaming deals within $100 of what I could do myself. Worth it for the warranty. Currently seeing i7 8700K, 16Gb, 500Gb NVMe SSD, 2TB HDD, 1080ti for A$2623 (about US$2k) but hoping for better deals later in June.

So Newegg decided to sell Ryzen 1700 CPUs for $160 earlier today (for about ten minutes) - as a result, I have a new build to replace my aging HTPC (which will be relegated to NAS duty) in the works now. Should be good times.

Nice MisterNoisy! Were you on some sort of cpu pricing alert website or did you just happen to read the right reddit forum at the right time?

I should get back to nature, too. You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer. Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached. Buy a car with only two cup holders or something.

Nice MisterNoisy! Were you on some sort of cpu pricing alert website or did you just happen to read the right reddit forum at the right time?

The buildapcsales subreddit is rad. Newegg was doing their E3 event with time-delayed codes (apparently in limited quantity), but the codes and prices were in the page source code, so the sub was primed to jump fast.

Farmed some of the saved cash into a semi-nice motherboard and ordered a 480GB NVME SSD for $99 (also thanks to that sub).

There's no rush, so I'm just sorta waiting for sales on the various bits and bobs I still need.

Ya that look super clean. Just realized that mine is terrible now because it still has the optical drive bay areas. So much extra wasted space.

Thanks, and ya - it's been ages since the last time I used an optical drive in a PC, let alone installed one. I bought a USB one a few years ago and have used it once to do a Windows installation for a friend.

How is the airflow from the front of the case? Most of the cases I see with the solid fronts like that one tend to have really bad airflow and heat up. Normally requires some static pressure fans for those cases.

How is the airflow from the front of the case? Most of the cases I see with the solid fronts like that one tend to have really bad airflow and heat up. Normally requires some static pressure fans for those cases.

I've been using one for over 10 years. It's fine as long as you lay things out well, do decent cable management, and have good cooling on individual parts. Only problem I ever really had was an evga 8800 gtx which was just due to evga's crappy cooling setup.

How is the airflow from the front of the case? Most of the cases I see with the solid fronts like that one tend to have really bad airflow and heat up. Normally requires some static pressure fans for those cases.

The right side of the case has a full-height filtered mesh panel that's about an inch or so long from front to back. I haven't really been able to run it hard yet, but I suspect it'll be fine.

My primary gaming box is in a similar solid-front panel case with a pair of super-quiet 140mm fans behind it and runs as cool as the day is long, even with a moderate overclock on the CPU and GPU.

NVIDIA has already released their next-gen architecture (Volta) but only in high-end cards. There's no announced date yet on the regular consumer line of cards but it's likely after Q2 this year (i.e. Q3 or Q4).

Edit: here's a review of the Titan V (the $3000 "consumer" Volta card):

So, what would be a good card to go after? I may end up replacing everything but the storage, peripherals, and monitor (PSU might be OK, dunno); it's just the video card right now seems like the major bottleneck.

I could wait until the new cards drop, but I really don't want to spend more than $500 on a card. I realize that card prices could continue to drop as miners and manufacturers rush to dump stock.

Any anyone have an recommendations on a good middle of the road case ($100 or less)? Looking for something less bulky than my Fractal R4. Doesn't need to have flashy lights or tempered glass (but please no plastic faux glass shit), but I do need something that filters dusk, has a decent amount of interior room (don't like cramped), and stays relatively cool/quiet.

So, what would be a good card to go after? I may end up replacing everything but the storage, peripherals, and monitor (PSU might be OK, dunno); it's just the video card right now seems like the major bottleneck.

I could wait until the new cards drop, but I really don't want to spend more than $500 on a card. I realize that card prices could continue to drop as miners and manufacturers rush to dump stock.

Any anyone have an recommendations on a good middle of the road case ($100 or less)? Looking for something less bulky than my Fractal R4. Doesn't need to have flashy lights or tempered glass (but please no plastic faux glass shit), but I do need something that filters dusk, has a decent amount of interior room (don't like cramped), and stays relatively cool/quiet.

I bought my NZXT H500i (featured just a bit upthread)i for just under a bill. The steel is a little thin, but it's fucking crazy good WRT cable management and has a solid tempered glass left-side panel. If you don't want the fan/RGB controller (and honestly, the software for that is pretty crap), get the H500 and save $30-40.

As for a GPU, I'd suggest the 1070 right now. Mine has been pretty great at 1440p, though I'm cheating a bit by using a GSync panel.